The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-04-15

of the human body is the sea. The captains
81 years are lightly worn "Not over So"
any one would say who made guess on his
age. Born in Connecticut, with a generous
inheritance of rugged Scotch blood in his
veins, he has both the spirit and physique
which enable him to go forth into Neptune's
kingdom without fear. Sharp brown eyes, a
rosy complexion, sandy whiskers and mus
tarhe and dark hair, grizzlcd a little-these,
with short and comfortably stout body,
make mp the captains personnel-exactiy
the kind of man, one can see at glance, who
would be undismayed when others would be
terror stricken.
Long voyages have been his fate of late,
though he was fora long time in the Atlantic
trade. Now he goes to Yokohama and other
places a distant, each voyage consuming
year or the greater part of it. He COM
nlanded one ship for twenty five years, a long
life for ship without accident He was once
wrecked and lost his ship His wife sailed
with him for thirty-five years, and his
children-two SONS and two daughters-were
also with him until almost grown In few
weeks he goes to Spain, to Bilboa, which will
be one of his shortest voyages
why do you continue your voyages, cap
tain?' l asked. Don't you feel as though
you had earned life of repose, and don't
You want to quit the sea?'
well" he said, II still go, partly from ne
cessi'y and partly because l can't resist the
temptation. We seamen are honest and
simple minded; not able to cone with the
sharpers on land. Ihey generally fleece us
and send us to sea again, whether we will or
no."
ut always seems to me that you rugged
men of the water know no fear How is it?"
| asked.
I'VE are often anxious, of course" said the
captain. During wild weather we have
our minds on leaks and other possible acci-
dents; but as for fearing death-beng ALSO
lutely afraid of what lies on the other side of
it-wiy that never enters my mind, nor any
other commanders mind"
Faith, religion, have they anyw FL
"Very few that / know are either blessed
or cursed by it. They think they have all
the hell here that they need As for living
after death at all, they don't bother about it.
Perhaps t:ey do and perhaps they don't At
any rate that's fence they don't jump till
they come to it"
"Superstitions, captain, have you anya
Your profession is credited with plenty
Il am not troubled much that way. But
every man has his supersttions. I own to
one. 1t is rats. When rats all leave "a ship
before she sails take it as sign that that
ship is coming to grief, and wouldn't care
to sail in her,"
us that a standard superstition? And does
disaster follow the emigration of rats"
ayes, it is firmly believed in I have it
from good authority that the rats get out of
the way of trouble
perhaps it is not SO uncanny a sign after
all. Possibly the rats gnawing and burrow-
ing everywhere are shrewder than we think.
They may see signs of leaks, Or have knowl-
edge of rottenness not dreamed of by the
master of the ship!'
II don't know how it is" said the captain,
' but | believe in it. No ratless ship shall
carry me out to sea if I know it. Some csp-
tains draw the line on Friday. For me Friday
was always lucky. But I know of a bark
that was launched on Friday, had several
acc dents happen on Friday, and finally went
down ON Friday"
Capt Mason says that sailors now are
mostly Scandinavians. An American before
the mast is an exception. There are two
reasons for this One is that Americans, as
rule are SO intelligent that they climb i'm
out of an inferior position into
better. Another, and perhaps the
better, is that the spirit of the American is
by nature against filling servile position
He will dig, shovel dirt, chop wood, perform
the hardest labor, and still feel man; but he
will not put himself in place where he can
be ordered, beaten, kicked or starved at the
whim of another He viii be no mental |
servitor for any man. Every order of service
that renuires servie obedience and loss of |
self respect must be filed by foreigners. |
lackeys. coachman and walters are |
few. The foreigner, used to feeling himself |
an inferior, comes here and contentedly takes |
nenial service. But his children, born and |
bred here, have in them the spirit of freedom |
which has made this the most beautiful coun-
iry on the earth, and they feel themselves |
men and women, with a. personal
hgnity that refuses to let them become serfs.
Capt Mason is an expert in calculating
lime and distance. In twenty different in
tances he has named ahead the date of ar
ival on voyage Of 100 days. He is but an
Indifferent sightseer. Never was ON the
Brooklyn bridge in his life, and never goes
o see any great doings of any kind when he
S in foreign port.
He is a type of class that ere long win
doubtless be utterly extinct. Steam has al
most driven canvas from the waves, and with
he final departure of the sails go the sturdy
aptailis of the past, the men who are pictllr-
sque and interesting in literature and in
fe. g. G..
/